Lounge-type chair



April 21, 1964 c. T. BARKER ETAL LOUNGE-TYPE CHAIR Fil ed Oct. 17, 1961 ATTORNEY 5 United States Patent 3,129,976 LOUNGE-TYPE QHAIR Charles T. Barker, 45%3 Tenella Road, and Thomas 0. Gray, Zltl Trent Road, both of New Bern, N.C. Filed Get. 17, 196i, Ser. No. 145,696 4 Claims. (Cl. 297423) This invention relates generally to furniture suitable for use in offices, homes, and the outdoors. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a novel lounge-type chair constructed in such a manner as to enable a person to more easily seat himself therein and arise therefrom without undue difficulty or embarrassment.

So-called lounge chairs characteristically include a forward extension of the seat providing a leg rest so as to support not only the torso of an occupant, but the legs of the occupant as well. The combined length of the seat and the leg rest forming an extension thereof causes a certain degree of awkwardness in using a lounge chair. Normally, a lounge chair is occupied by a person in the following manner. The person first assumes a position standing to one side of the seat and leg rest of the lounge chair. The would-be occupant then sits on the side edge of the leg rest and pivots his body to dispose his legs above the leg rest, following which the person must pull himself rearwardly to dispose his torso on the seat and his back in proximity with the back of the chair with his legs supported by the leg rest. In some cases, where the width of the seat and the leg rest associated therewith is not too wide, it is possible for a person to straddle the seat and leg rest of the lounge chair with his legs and properly position his torso on the seat with his back in proximity to the back of the chair, thereafter raising his legs upwardly and inwardly so that they may be lowered onto the leg rest. In arising from a lounge chair, a person will go through substantially the same sequence of steps employed to occupy the lounge chairthis time in reverse order and manner.

Regardless of procedures which may be adopted, it is diflicult for a person to avoid uncertain and clumsy movements in occupying and arising from a lounge chair of the types heretofore known. This is particularly true in the case of a woman wearing a dress. In such attire, a woman is unable or unwilling to straddle the seat and leg rest of a lounge chair because of the confining nature of her dress and the ungraceful stance which she must effect to seat herself or arise from a lounge chair in this latter manner. Thus, hardly without exception, women seat themselves in and arise from lounge-type chairs in the manner first described. Even here, when the woman is engaged in pivoting her body, while she is sitting on the side edge of the leg rest so as to move her legs above the leg rest in arising from the lounge chair, she must take extreme care to hold the skirt of her dress closely about her legs to avoid an immodest display of her legs. Despite every precaution, however, the skirt of a woman's dress is likely to be hiked upwardly on her body to an immodest degree when she seats herself or arises from a lounge-type chair of the types heretofore known, causing considerable personal embarrassment.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved lounge-type chair suitable for use as general furniture in the office, home, or the outdoors of the type including a forward extension of the seat in the form of a leg rest for supporting the legs of an occupant, wherein the improvement resides in so constructing the lounge-type chair as to readily enable a person to be seated therein and arise therefrom without undue difiiculty or embarrassment.

It is another more specific object of the present invention to provide an improved lounge-type chair of the type including a forward extension of the seat in the form of a leg rest, wherein one side of the lounge-type chair is provided with a notch located at the juncture between the seat and the leg rest and having a depth and longitudinal extent sufficient to expose a significant portion of the area of the seat along one side boundary of the lounge-type chair and permitting the legs of a person to be received therein, thereby facilitating access to the seat and emergence therefrom to readily enable the person to be seated with his legs supported by the leg rest and to arise without undue awkwardness, the minimum width at the notched juncture between the seat and the leg rest being sufiicient to support both legs of an occupant.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of one form of loungetype chair constructed in accordance with the present invention; and

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of another form of a lounge-type chair constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, FIGURE 1 illustrates one form of an improved lounge-type chair constructed in accordance with the present invention, the loungetype chair of FIGURE 1 being a typical piece of furniture suitable for use on porches and pat os of the home and for general outdoor use. As is characteristic of lounge-type chairs, the lounge-type chair of FIGURE 1 includes an elongate seat member or base 10 having a length of suflicient dimension to accommodate the torso and legs of an occupant in a comfortable supported position. The elongated seat member it} comprises a torso-accommodating seat 211 provided with a forward seat extension forming a leg rest 12. A chair back 13 is connected to the rear end of the torso-accommodating seat 11 and extends upwardly from the elongated seat member 10. It will be observed that the elongated seat member 19 is defined by an endless open frame 14 and webbing 15 interwoven between the opposite sides of the frame 14-. The frame 1 is made of tubular stock, aluminum tubing being generally preferred in lounge-type chairs of this type because of its light weight. The webhing 15 is of suitable fabric or plastic strip material and provides a lattice-like network affording a surface on which an occupant of the chair may support his torso and legs on the seat 11 arid the leg rest 12, respectively. The leg rest 12 depends at an acute angle from the seat ill at the juncture therebetween, the seat 11 being substantially horizontal and the leg rest 12 gently inclining downwardly therefrom.

The opposite ends of the frame 14 extend beyond the webbing 15 which cooperates therewith to define the seat .11 and the leg rest 12, the opposite ends of the frame member 14 bending downwardly so as to be disposed beneath the elongated seat member 10' to comprise forward and rearward legs 16 and 17 for supporting the elongated seat member 10 in an elevated relation above the surface on which the chair stands with the legs 16 and 17 engaging the surface. The back 13 of the chair is defined in a manner similar to the elongated seat memher it The back !13 includes a tubular frame 18, preferably of aluminum tubing, outlining its boundaries and webbing 19 of suitable fabric or plastic strip material interwoven between the opposite sides of the frame 18 to provide a back-supporting surface.

Bracing and supporting members are disposed on opposite sides of the chair. Each of the bracing and supporting members is made of tubular stock, preferably aluminum tubing, and comprises a side rail 20 and a leg 21 integral with the side rail 20. The side rail 20 is connected to the back 13 at a position above the seat 11 and extends generally parallel and vertically above the seat 11 to provide an arm rest. The leg 21 extends downwardly from the end of the side rail 20 remote from the back below the elongated seat member 10, being connected intermediate its ends to the corresponding side of the seat 11 to reinforce the chair. Thus, the side rails 20, 20 provide arm rests on opposite sides of the chair, and the legs 21, 21 afford additional support for maintaining the elongated seat member in elevated relation to the surface on which the chair stands. It will be understood that adequate support for the chair can be obtained when either the forward leg 16 or the pair of intermediate legs 21, 21 are omitted.

Lounge-type chairs of the type described cannot be easily occupied or vacated by a person Without accompanying awkwardnesswhich sometimes causes personal embarrassment, especially when the person in question is a woman-because the leg rest at least partially obstructs access to the seat and hinders arising therefrom. It will be observed that our improved lounge-type chair is provided with a distinct notch 30 in one side of the elongated seat member 10. The notch 30 is located at the juncture between the seat 11 and the leg rest 12, being defined by the frame 14 substantially in the form of a rightangled triangle. The opposite side of the elongated seat member 10 lies wholly within a single vertical plane perpendicular to the surface on which the chair stands and extends in a continuous straightforward manner from the rear of the seat 11, through the leg rest 12. However, the notch 39 forms an irregularity in the side edge of the chair on the side in which the notch 30 is located, the side-walls of the notch 30 being provided by the portion 31 of the forward end of the seat 11 exposed by the provision of the notch 30 and the outwardly tapering portion 32 of the frame member 14.

Thus, it will be seen that the notch 30 has a depth of suflicient size to provide access to the seat 11. By its formation, the notch 30 exposes a portion of the area of seat 11 so that a person may initially position his legs Within the notch 39 in being seated in or arising from the chair and is thereby enabled to seat himself on the seat 11 and to arise therefrom without undue awkwardness. It should be understood that the minimum width of the juncture between the seat 11 and the leg rest 12 as determined by the maximum depth of the access notch 30 is of suflicient size to support both legs of a would-be occupant of the chair. The depth of the access notch 30 will generally lie within a range of one-third to one-half of the width of the chair measured across the seat 11 thereof, but it should be understood that this latter range is mentioned by way of example only, inasmuch as the over-all size of the chair will be the determining factor in establishing the most acceptable depth of the access notch 36.

Another form of a lounge-type chair constructed in accordance with the present invention is illustrated in FIGURE 2, the lounge-type chair in this instance being constructed of wood and having structural features similar to those described in connection with the lounge-type chair of FIGURE 1. The reference numerals in FIGURE 2 correspond to those in FIGURE 1 for similar structural features with the prime notation being added. Thus, in FIGURE 2 it will be observed that the lounge-type chair illustrated therein includes a plurality of parallel transverse wooden boards 15' extending between the opposite sides of a wooden frame 14' to define the seat 11' and the Tag restt12' of the elongated seat member 10' for the chair. The chair back 13 is connected to the rear end of the seat 11 and extends upwardly therefrom, the back 13' comprising a plurality of parallel transverse wooden boards 19 extending between oppositely disposed 4 wooden side frame members 18', 18' to provide a backsupporting surface. Front and rear pairs of legs 16, 16 and 17', 17' located beneath the forward end of the leg rest 12' and beneath the seat 11' and back 13' of the chair, respectively, support the chair on the surface on which it stands.-

Bracing and supporting members are disposed on opposite sides of the chair and comprise the side rails 20', 20' and the legs 21', 21 depending therefrom. The access notch 30' is formed in one side of the elongated seat member 10' at the juncture between the seat 11 and the leg rest 12' to expose a forward end portion 3l' of the seat 11', the notch 30 being of sm'ficient depth to enable a person to position his legs therein for providing ready access to the seat 11 and facilitating emergence therefrom. As in the chair of FIGURE 1, adequate support for the chair in FIGURE 2 can be obtained when either the forward legs 16', 16' or the intermediate legs 21', 21' are omitted. In substance, the dimensional relationships as to the notch 30' and other structural features of the lounge-type chair illustrated in FIGURE 2 are the same as those previously mentioned in describing the loungetype chair of FIGURE 1.

It will be understood that the two forms of improved lounge-type chairs illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2 of the drawings have been shown by way of example only, as our improvement comprising the provision of an access notch at or near the juncture between the seat and the leg rest of a lounge-type chair may be incorporated in any lounge-type chair, characterized by having an elongated seat member comprising a seat and a forward extension thereof forming a leg rest, to enable a person to sit in and arise from the chair in a convenient manner without accompanying clumsy movements and/or other circumstances likely to cause personal embarrassment. While the access notch 30 or 30 has been shown as being in the form of a right-angled triangle, it is contemplated that the access notch 39 or 30' may be otherwise shaped so long as it is positioned at or near the juncture between the seat and the leg rest and is of suflicient depth and size to provide convenient access to the seat and to facilitate emergence from the seat when a person positions his legs therein preparatory to sitting in or arising from the lounge type chair. In the drawings and specification there have been set forth preferred embodiments of the invention and, al-

though specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

We claim:

1. A lounge-type chair comprising (a) an elongate seat member of undivided unitary con struction and having a length of sufficient dimension to accommodate the torso and legs of a person in a comfortable supported position,

(b) a back connected to said seat member and extending upwardly therefrom,

(0) means depending below said seat member for supporting the chair in a stable stationary position on the surface on which it is placed with at least a portion of said seat member being elevated above the surface on which the chair is placed,

(d) said seat member being provided with a notch in one side thereof intermediate its ends,

(e) the other side of said seat member extending in a substantially straightforward continuous manner between the ends of said seat member,

(f) said notch being located in the region defining the juncture between a torso-accommodating portion of the seat member and a leg supporting portion of the seat member and having a depth of sufficient size to accommodate the legs of a person therein when the person is in a position other than occupying the chair with his legs supported by said seat member, and

(g) the width of said seat member at the point of deepest penetration of said notch being suflicient to support both legs of a person seated in the chair,

(It) whereby a person can conveniently seat himself in and arise from the chair by initially positioning his legs within said notch.

2. A lounge-type chair comprising (a) an elongate seat member of undivided unitary construction and having a length of suflicient dimension to accommodate the torso and legs of a person in a comfortable supported position,

(b) said seat member comprising a substantially level seat for accommodating the torso of a person and a forward seat extension connected to said seat for supporting the legs of the person when the person occupies the chair in a lounging position,

(0) a back connected to said seat and extending upwardly therefrom,

(d) means depending below said seat for supporting the chair in a stable stationary position on the surface on which it is placed,

(e) said seat member being provided with a notch in one side thereof intermediate its ends,

(f) the other side of said seat member extending in a substantially straightforward continuous manner between the ends of said seat member,

(g) said notch being located at the juncture between said seat and said extension and having a depth of suflicient size to accommodate the legs of a person therein when the person is in a position other than occupying the chair with his legs supported by said seat extension,

(h) the width of said seat member at the point of deepest penetration of said notch being suflicient to support both legs of a person seated in the chair, and

(i) said notch exposing an end portion of said seat to afford access to said seat and facilitate emergence therefrom free from obstruction by said seat extensron,

(j) whereby a person can conveniently seat himself in and arise from the chair by initially positioning his legs within said notch.

3. A lounge-type chair comprising (a) a substantially horizontally extending seat,

(b) a back connected to said seat at one end thereof and extending upwardly therefrom,

(c) a leg rest connected to said seat at the other end thereof and forming a seat extension depending from said seat at an acute angle to an imaginary plane in which said seat lies,

(d) means depending below said seat for supporting the chair in a stable stationary position on the surface on which it is placed with said seat and at least the major portion of said leg rest being elevated above the surface on which the chair is placed,

(e) the end of said leg rest connected to the other end of said seat being of lesser Width than the opposite end of said leg rest and being connected to the other end of said seat so as to dispose one side of said leg rest inwardly of the corresponding side of said seat at the connection therebetween for exposing a portion of the other end of said seat representing the additional width thereof as compared to the end of said leg rest of lesser width connected thereto,

(f) the other side of said leg rest forming a straightforward length substantially continuous with the side of said seat corresponding thereto,

(g) said exposed portion of the other end of said seat cooperating with said one side of said leg rest to define an access notch having a depth of suflicient size to accommodate the legs of a person, and

(h) the minimum width of said leg rest being at its end connected to said seat and being of sufiicient size to support both legs of a person seated in the chair in a lounging position,

(i) whereby a person can conveniently seat himself in and arise from the chair by initially positioning his legs within the notch.

4. A lounge-type chair comprising (a) a substantially level seat,

(b) a back connected to said seat at one end thereof and extending upwardly therefrom,

(c) a leg rest connected to said seat at the other end thereof and forming a seat extension disposed forwardly of said seat,

(d) means depending below said seat for supporting the chair in a stable stationary position on the surface on which it is placed,

(2) the end of said leg rest connected to the other end of said seat being of lesser width than the opposite end of said leg rest and being connected to the other end of said seat so as to dispose one side of said leg rest inwardly of the corresponding side of said seat at the connection therebetween for exposing a portion of the other end of said seat representing the additional width thereof as compared to the end of said leg rest of lesser width connected thereto,

(1) said one side of said leg rest tapering outwardly from its point of connection with the other end of said seat to a degree providing a maximum width of said leg rest,

(g) said exposed portion of the other end of said seat cooperating with said outwardly tapering one side of said leg rest to define an access notch of a rightangled triangular shape and having a depth of sufficient size to accommodate the legs of a person therein, and

(h) the minimum width of said leg rest being at its end connected to said seat and being of sufficient size to support both legs of a person seated in the chair in a lounging position,

(i) whereby a person can conveniently seat himself in and arise from the chair by initially positioning his legs within the notch.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 192,558 Baker et a1 Apr. 10, 1962 787,676 Kelly Apr. 18, 1905 787,677 Kelly Apr. 18, 1905 1,543,612 Paschaud June 23, 1925 1,947,410 Emerson Feb. 13, 1934 2,457,343 Braunscheiger Dec. 28, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS 187,148 Great Britain Oct. 19, 1922 

1. A LOUNGE-TYPE CHAIR COMPRISING (A) AN ELONGATE SEAT MEMBER OF UNDIVIDED UNITARY CONSTRUCTION AND HAVING A LENGTH OF SUFFICIENT DIMENSION TO ACCOMMODATE THE TORSO AND LEGS OF A PERSON IN A COMFORTABLE SUPPORTED POSITION, (B) A BACK CONNECTED TO SAID SEAT MEMBER AND EXTENDING UPWARDLY THEREFROM, (C) MEANS DEPENDING BELOW SAID SEAT MEMBER FOR SUPPORTING THE CHAIR IN A STABLE STATIONARY POSITION ON THE SURFACE ON WHICH IT IS PLACED WITH AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID SEAT MEMBER BEING ELEVATED ABOVE THE SURFACE ON WHICH THE CHAIR IS PLACED, (D) SAID SEAT MEMBER BEING PROVIDED WITH A NOTCH IN ONE SIDE THEREOF INTERMEDIATE ITS ENDS, (E) THE OTHER SIDE OF SAID SEAT MEMBER EXTENDING IN A SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHTFORWARD CONTINUOUS MANNER BETWEEN THE ENDS OF SAID SEAT MEMBER, 